Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #6 - November 1986

#1 Junkyard Dog [--] (4-1-0) (WWF)

A double disqualification keeps the NWA World Heavyweight Championship around the waist of Ric Flair, but "The Night of the Skywalkers" also keeps The Nature Boy from reclaiming his place amongst the Top 10 Pay-Per-View Players! His opponent NWA United States Champion Nikita Koloff was a late replacement for Magnum TA -- whose life and career was changed forever by a car accident that left him paralyzed.

Victory in a hair vs hair match over Paul Jones delivers the unlikely top ranked NWA star of Jimmy Valiant to the #5 spot. More thrilling might be the rise of The Rock 'n' Roll Express -- NWA World Tag Team Champions Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson! Their second Starrcade win puts them at the top of the NWA dominated tag team rankings, while Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey (The Midnight Express) drop to the bottom with their second loss.

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [--] Junkyard Dog (4-1-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] Randy Savage (4-1-0) (WWF) [Intercontinental Champion]
#3 [--] Ricky Steamboat (4-2-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Hulk Hogan (3-0-0) (WWF) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#5 [RE] Jimmy Valiant (3-1-0) (NWA)
#6 [-1] The Dynamite Kid (3-1-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champion]
#7 [new] Krusher Khruschev (2-0-0) (NWA) [US Tag Team Champion]
#8 [new] Ricky Morton (2-0-0) (NWA) [World Tag Team Champion]
#9 [new] Robert Gibson (2-0-0) (NWA) [World Tag Team Champion]
#10 [-4] The Assassin (2-0-0) (NWA)

 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [+2] Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (2-0-0) (NWA) [World Tag Team Champion]
#2 [-1] Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood (1-0-0) (NWA)
#3 [-1] Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (1-0-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid (1-0-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champions]
#5 [--] Bob Orton Jr & Dick Slater (1-0-0) (NWA)
#6 [--] Kevin Sullivan & Mark Lewin (1-0-0) (NWA)
#7 [--] Assassin #1 & Assassin #2 (1-0-0) (NWA)
#8 [--] The Assassin & Buzz Tyler (1-0-0) (NWA)
#9 [--] Hulk Hogan & Mr. T (1-0-0) (WWF)
#10 [new] Jimmy Valiant & Ron Garvin (1-0-0) (NWA)

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] The Fabulous Moolah (1-0-0) (WWF) [Women's Champion]
#3 [--] Leilani Kai (1-0-0) (WWF)
#4 [--] Velvet McIntyre (0-1-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- NWA Starrcade '86: Night of the Skywalkers (November 27, 1986)
- WWF Wrestlemania 2 (April 7, 1986)
- NWA Starrcade '85: The Gathering (November 28, 1985)
- WWF The Wrestling Classic (November 7, 1985)
- WWF Wrestlemania (March 31, 1985)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intends to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers.

Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #5 - April 1986

#1 Junkyard Dog [--] (4-1-0) (WWF)

The multi-match stats of November's The Wrestling Classic keeps Junkyard Dog in the top spot, even as tournament runner-up Randy Savage makes history with his Intercontinental title defense against George "The Animal" Steele in the now classic Wrestlemania 2 undercard grudge bout!

Once again it's the limitations of the early wrestling pay-per-view calendar that are most evident in the rankings, delivering a slightly less than legendary list. Hulk Hogan reigns over the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in a classic steel cage WWF Championship defense against King Kong Bundy! It was the third arena main event of the night -- one-upping NWA's two town extravaganza at Starrcade '85 (in North Carolina & Georgia)! An impressive feat, even if history forgets its responsive nature to speak to ingenuity.

As Hulkamania charges toward an inevitable collision with the #1 pay-per-view rank -- his NWA rival Ric Flair disappears from the Top 10! With no WWF counter programming to contend with, Flair will have full opportunity to return in November via the main event stage of Starrcade '86! If he wins, he'll displace several big name rankings debuts: Dynamite Kid (WWF Tag Team Champion w/ Davey Boy Smith), Mr. T (d. Roddy Piper) & 20-man battle royal winner Andre the Giant - who last eliminated Bret Hart in his PPV debut!

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [--] Junkyard Dog (4-1-0) (WWF)
#2 [--] Randy Savage (4-1-0) (WWF) [Intercontinental Champion]
#3 [--] Ricky Steamboat (4-2-0) (WWF)
#4 [+2] Hulk Hogan (3-0-0) (WWF) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#5 [new] The Dynamite Kid (3-1-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champion]
#6 [-1] The Assassin (2-0-0) (NWA)
#7 [--] Manny Fernandez (2-0-0) (NWA)
#8 [new] Mr. T (2-0-0) (WWF)
#9 [new] Andre The Giant (2-0-0) (WWF)
#10 [-6] Tito Santana (2-1-1) (WWF)

 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [--] Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood (1-0-0) (NWA)
#2 [--] Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (1-0-0) (WWF)
#3 [--] Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (1-0-0) (NWA) [World Tag Team Champions]
#4 [new] Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid (1-0-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champions]
#5 [-1] Bob Orton Jr & Dick Slater (1-0-0) (NWA)
#6 [-1] Kevin Sullivan & Mark Lewin (1-0-0) (NWA)
#7 [-1] Assassin #1 & Assassin #2 (1-0-0) (NWA)
#8 [--] The Assassin & Buzz Tyler (1-0-0) (NWA)
#9 [--] Hulk Hogan & Mr. T (1-0-0) (WWF)
#10 [--] Ole Anderson & Arn Anderson (1-0-0) (NWA) [National Tag Team Champions]

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF)
#2 [new] The Fabulous Moolah (1-0-0) (WWF) [Women's Champion]
#3 [-1] Leilani Kai (1-0-0) (WWF)
#4 [new] Velvet McIntyre (0-1-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- WWF Wrestlemania 2 (April 7, 1986)
- NWA Starrcade '85: The Gathering (November 28, 1985)
- WWF The Wrestling Classic (November 7, 1985)
- WWF Wrestlemania (March 31, 1985)
- NWA Starrcade '84: The Million Dollar Challenge (November 22, 1984)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intends to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers.

Wrestling: Pay-Per-View Players #4 - November 1985

#1 Junkyard Dog [new] (4-0-0) (WWF)

As if anticipating the prestigious rankings of the PPV Players -- WWF launch a second pay-per-view event to counter the NWA's annual spectacular. Starrcade '85: The Gathering packed a punch with its catalogue of national stars, but WWF stormed the stats with their The Wrestling Classic tournament timed a deliberate three weeks ahead on November 7th. The result is (presumably) one of the most unlikely top ranked stars we'll see throughout the ages: Wrestling Classic winner "JYD" Junkyard Dog!

Ric Flair notably concedes the top spot, trading the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and his '84 victory back to Dusty Rhodes in '85. That lone loss has shocking statistical implications as the steadfast "Nature Boy" plummets beneath WWF's tournament challengers and crossover talent. Randy Savage sure knows how to make an impression, debuting as tournament runner-up and #2 PPV Player as of November '85. Hulk Hogan has the WWF World Heavyweight Championship and his first Top 10 ranking. Ever the second - workhorse Ricky Steamboat rides his Wrestling Classic campaign to remain steady at #3.

Tag team wrestling remains a little on the sparse side, but the big news this month is the official registration of new NWA World Tag Team Champions: The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson)! Also on the winners list is defending NWA National Tag Team Champions: "The Minnesota Wrecking Crew" Ole & Arn Anderson! We'll see if/how WWF respond!

 

Top Ten Singles PPV Players

#1 [new] Junkyard Dog (4-0-0) (WWF)
#2 [new] Randy Savage (3-1-0) (WWF)
#3 [--] Ricky Steamboat (3-2-0) (WWF)
#4 [new] Tito Santana (2-0-1) (WWF)
#5 [-3] The Assassin (2-0-0) (NWA)
#6 [new] Hulk Hogan (2-0-0) (WWF) [World Heavyweight Champion]
#7 [new] Manny Fernandez (2-0-0) (NWA)
#8 [-7] Ric Flair (2-1-0) (NWA)
#9 [new] Jimmy Valiant (2-1-0) (NWA)
#10 [new] Ron Bass (2-1-0) (NWA)

 

Top Ten Tag Team PPV Players

#1 [--] Ricky Steamboat & Jay Youngblood (1-0-0) (NWA)
#2 [--] Nikolai Volkoff & The Iron Sheik (1-0-0) (WWF) [Tag Team Champions]
#3 [new] Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson (1-0-0) (NWA) [World Tag Team Champions]
#4 [-1] Bob Orton Jr & Dick Slater (1-0-0) (NWA)
#5 [-1] Kevin Sullivan & Mark Lewin (1-0-0) (NWA)
#6 [-1] Assassin #1 & Assassin #2 (1-0-0) (NWA)
#7 [-1] Ivan Koloff & Nikita Koloff (1-0-0) (NWA)
#8 [-1] The Assassin & Buzz Tyler (1-0-0) (NWA)
#9 [-1] Hulk Hogan & Mr. T (1-0-0) (WWF)
#10 [new] Ole Anderson & Arn Anderson (1-0-0) (NWA) [National Tag Team Champions]

Top Womens PPV Players
#1 [--] Wendi Richter (1-0-0) (WWF) [Womens Champion]
#2 [--] Leilani Kai (1-0-0) (WWF)

 

Recent Pay-Per-View Event Results
- NWA Starrcade '85: The Gathering (November 28, 1985)
- WWF The Wrestling Classic (November 7, 1985)
- WWF Wrestlemania (March 31, 1985)
- NWA Starrcade '84: The Million Dollar Challenge (November 22, 1984)
- NWA Starrcade '83: A Flair for the Gold (November 24, 1983)

 

The Pay-Per-View Players rankings intends to take into account pay-per-view events promoted by NWA, WWF, WCW, ECW, WWE & TNA wrestling organizations. Only broadcast results contribute to the cumulative tally of win/loss record of wrestlers.